The best age to freeze eggs, and when to consider using IVF or donors

The future of fertility

The worldwide trend of ‘older mums’ is continuing as we see an increase in women using donors to become solo mums. Credit: Getty Images

Once a hushed conversation in doctor’s offices, fertility used to be a taboo topic.

But with celebs like Brooke Shields, Mark Zuckerberg and celebrity sweethearts John Legend and Chrissy Teigan publicly sharing their own problems and struggles to conceive, the conversation is opening up.

Watch the full story above

Late last year, Aussie singer Natalie Imbruglia delivered the good news that she had welcomed her son Max into the world.

At 44, the singer became a first-time mum, a trend we’re continuing to see more and more of.

“I think the celebrities now are coming out about how they’re achieving their pregnancies,” said fertility experts Dr Devora Lieberman.

“We’ve certainly been seeing an increase in single women having families on their own for quite a number of years now. It’s a very rapidly growing group of women.

“I think it’s important to plan for it - so if you want children, make sure you have a backup plan if it doesn’t happen by a certain age. Male fertility also declines over time, so it’s an important consideration for men as well.”

When to freeze your eggs

The number of women accessing egg freezing services is also soaring - and the average age of women who choose to freeze their eggs has dropped from 38 to 36 in the three years between 2015 and 2018.

“Around the world, less than 10 per cent of women who freeze eggs come back and use them,” Lieberman said.

“Now with the cost of egg freezing coming down in Australia, women are coming to see me when they’re younger now.

“But if you’re 30-years-old and single, it’s probably the last thing on your mind.